Showing posts with label Manx syndrome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manx syndrome. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Best Friends: how to find your perfect cat

Annie and I split up today. We each saw other people.

Fear the Cute
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Annie and Luke at Cat HQ
 


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Chica
Annie socialized with the cats and kittens at HQ. 


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Tyler


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Tyler and Tanner

I went to Quincy's House (sometimes called "Kitty Motel"). They offered me the choice to socialize or to help with the work. The staff works so hard I couldn't say "no" to helping out. The caregiver told me that, literally, Best Friends couldn't function without volunteers. In the old days, with so many animals and so few humans, they would go into Kanab with $20 bills and ask people if they wanted to help. "Now," she said "you come to us!"

Knox, http://thegoodluckduck.com
Knox is in a FIV+ room. He could not get enough of my shoes.
You can't take FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) home to your cats by working with them. FIV+ cats can live a long life, and don't necessarily convert to feline-AIDS. You can't get FIV.

These guys are kept separate from the other cats to prevent infection through fights and bites. 

Quincy's House is also home to the famous Incontinental Suite. A large number of the incontinent kitties have Manx syndrome, and are "rumpies." If you're imagining a big stink here, it's okay to stop. This place is clean

There are also several resident cerebellar hypoplasia (CH) cats here. They're sometimes called "wobbly cats," although no one here called them that.
Bug, http://thegoodluckduck.com
Bug
Bug looked right at me, then staggered to the left. He overcorrected and flopped over to the right. I second-guessed him and put him on my lap - that was the right call. We snuggled for a long time.

These fellows eat out of soft silicone bowls, because they could hurt their faces on the stainless steel bowls the other cats use. This is a favorite spot of Bug's, so they wrap it in soft things to cushion him.

Bug, http://thegoodluckduck.com
Bug-eyed

Duke, http://thegoodluckduck.com
Duke

Annie and I got back together at 4PM. We're willing to separate again, for a good cause.

I'm planning to become more spontaneous, but I still need to know a little of what to expect from new experiences. If you'd like to know how to go about volunteering at Best Friends, I'll talk more about that soon.